


we got scars on our future hearts (but we never look back)

by BloodRaven55



Category: RWBY
Genre: And a little bit of, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bumbleby Week 2020 (RWBY), Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Abuse, One Shot, as well as some - Freeform, but nothing too heavy, i wanted to try coming at this prompt from a different angle to most other people lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:36:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRaven55/pseuds/BloodRaven55
Summary: “I know what you’re thinking.” Yang broke through her spiralling thoughts, sounding almost sad. “This isn’t a burden. You are not a burden. We both have things we’re working on, Blake. And it won’t always be easy. But that’s why we promised to protect each other, right?”a.k.a. one time Yang helps Blake, and one time Blake helps Yang.Written for Day 2 of Bumbleby Week based on the prompt of "Scars."
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 14
Kudos: 124





	we got scars on our future hearts (but we never look back)

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to put something out there for at least one day of Bee Week and I'm pretty happy with this so here y'all go. I had the idea for a slightly different spin on this prompt and this is the result.
> 
> Lyrics in the title from Old Scars/Future Hearts by All Time Low.

Blake let out a hum of approval as she breathed in the warm, comforting scent of her favourite herbal tea. Atlas may have been a terrible place, but at least she had managed to find this one small piece of home in such a grim environment. After taking a hesitant sip to check that it wasn’t too hot, she picked up the mug of hot chocolate still sitting on the counter and carried both drinks through to the dormitory’s common room.

Yang was still sprawled across her half of the large leather sofa when Blake slipped through the door, taking care to be as quiet as possible since it was past midnight and everyone else was likely already asleep. She padded over to the sofa, setting their drinks down on the table next to it and feeling warmth bloom in her chest as Yang instantly shifted to make room for her.

She sat down next to her partner, settling into a comfortable position and idly watching the stars through the large window in the opposite wall. Neither her nor Yang had been finding it easy to sleep since they arrived here, and so it had become a habit of sorts for them to end up spending time together in the common room to provide silent company until they were exhausted enough to finally get some peaceful rest.

Her thoughts snapped back to the present as Yang reached forward to take her own drink, leaning across to press a light kiss to Blake’s cheek. “Thanks, darling.”

Blake froze.

Red. There was so much red. It was all she could see, and for a long moment his voice was all she could hear. The warmth which had brought a smile to her lips seconds before turned to ice, numb and leaden in the pit of her stomach, and she knew she should say something, but she couldn’t focus enough to form the right words. She was distantly aware of Yang’s hand resting over hers on the sofa between them, her partner watching her with concern, and it grounded her enough to finally find her voice.

“S-Sorry. You’re, uh— You’re welcome. For the hot chocolate.”

Yang set her drink back down on the table before turning slightly to face Blake properly, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of Blake’s hand. “Hey, you don’t need to apologise.” There was a beat of silence. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I—” Blake took a deep breath, interlacing their fingers as she tried to unravel the tangle of emotions lodged in her throat. “It’s just that… he used to call me that. ‘Darling,’ I mean. I’m sorry I reacted that way, though. I know you didn’t—”

“Blake, it’s okay,” Yang said, her words soft and gentle just like her touch as she gave Blake’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll make sure not to call you that again.”

Over the past few weeks, as they navigated the journey from friends and partners to something more, Yang had tried out any number of terms of endearment. They had ranged from sweet to ridiculous, and after a while Blake became convinced that Yang was only using them to make her laugh, not that she was complaining at all. Still, she wasn’t used to the way that Yang always paid so much attention to whether she was comfortable, and she had to swallow down the instinct to apologise again for spoiling a harmless word with her inability to move on from the past.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Yang broke through her spiralling thoughts, sounding almost sad. “This isn’t a burden. _You_ are not a burden. We both have things we’re working on, Blake. And it won’t always be easy. But that’s why we promised to protect each other, right?”

Blake glanced down at their hands, feeling a little lighter than she had before. She let go of Yang’s hand, but before her partner could take it as a rejection she cupped Yang’s face instead, drawing her forward into a kiss which still felt just as new and exciting as their first one had over a week ago. She was smiling when she pulled away, and she had to suppress a giggle by reminding herself that laughter would definitely disturb their sleeping teammates.

She still wasn’t used to how easy everything felt with Yang—to the giddiness of falling in love without the constant prickle of fear at the back of her mind—but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from enjoying it all the same.

* * *

“Blake, what were you thinking?! You could have been _killed!”_

“So could that child if I hadn’t done something!” Blake paused for a moment before continuing to pace the floor of their living room, refusing to look at her very angry wife. “I— I can’t just _sit_ there while someone else takes a bullet. Neither could you. That’s not who we are.”

Yang let out a long sigh, taking a seat on the sofa and running a hand over her face. “I know. I know, and I’m sorry. Your bravery is one of the things that made me fall in love with you in the first place. But I just— I know what it’s like to lose people, Blake. To lose them so suddenly that you don’t even get to say goodbye.”

She trailed off, and Blake went to kneel in front of her, taking Yang’s prosthetic hand in both of her own. “And I don’t ever want to put you through that, sweetheart. I have no intention of dying any time soon, trust me. But I can’t promise that I’ll never put myself at risk to help people who need me.”

“I don’t want you to,” Yang said, sounding exhausted as she gave Blake’s hand a small squeeze, accepting the offer of comfort. “It’s hard for me to accept, but… I’m trying.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

Blake rose to her feet, slowing her breathing to calm her nerves. It was extremely rare that they had intense disagreements like this, but even after years of marriage they were often hard for her to handle on the rare occasions when they happened. Reaching the point where she no longer flinched away from a raised voice or expected a rough touch to follow every sudden movement had taken a long time, and it was something she was still working on now.

Her heart was beating way too fast, the leftover adrenaline like an itch beneath her skin, and she knew she needed to get some space before she reacted in a way which would ruin the progress they’d just made. She grabbed her jacket from where she’d thrown it onto the armchair in the corner when she’d first come home, and she’d just finished pulling it on when Yang looked up to meet her eyes.

“You’re— You’re leaving?”

Her partner’s voice cracked like she was on the verge of tears, and Blake rushed to explain. “ _No!_ No, no, no, absolutely not.” She closed the distance without hesitation, grateful when Yang accepted her hug. Her wife burrowed into her, clearly needing the reassurance, and for several minutes Blake simply ran her fingers through Yang’s hair, waiting until she felt some of the tension drain from her wife’s body. “I promised, remember? And you’ve never given me any reason to change my mind. I love you, and I can’t imagine ever willingly leaving you. I just need some space for an hour or two, okay?”

Yang pulled back after another long moment, wiping at her eyes before nodding. “Okay. I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out on you. I trust you, I really do. But for a moment I thought—”

“I know,” Blake promised. “I know. What was it you said once back when we were dumb kids? ‘We both have things we’re working on, and it won’t always be easy. But that’s why we promised to protect each other, right?’ You should listen to your past self, Yang. You were kind of really wise.” Yang laughed at that, and Blake smiled, knowing that they’d be okay. “I love you. So much. And I’ll be back later.”

“I love you too. Just, uh— Try not to almost die saving a kid again just yet, yeah?”

“No near death experiences for a long while. I promise.”

Maybe they both had scars which still ached sometimes, whether they were visible or not, but Blake knew that they would heal with time. And that was okay, because she planned on sticking around for a very long time to help Yang the same way Yang had always helped her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed and as usual all comments except for non-constructive criticism are not just welcomed but highly appreciated <3


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